ASTM D1142-95R21 - Standard Test Method for Water Vapor Content of Gaseous Fuels by<brk/> Measurement of Dew-Point Temperature

Note 1: Some gaseous fuels contain vapors of hydrocarbons or other components that easily condense into liquid and sometimes interfere with or mask the water dew point. When this occurs, it is sometimes very helpful to supplement the apparatus in Fig. 1 with an optical attachment that uniformly illuminates the dew–point mirror and also magnifies the condensate on the mirror. With this attachment it is possible, in some cases, to observe separate condensation points of water vapor, hydrocarbons, and glycolamines as well as ice points. However, if the dew point of the condensable hydrocarbons is higher than the water vapor dew point, when such hydrocarbons are present in large amounts, they may flood the mirror and obscure or wash off the water dew point. Best results in distinguishing multiple component dew points are obtained when they are not too closely spaced.

Note 2: Condensation of water vapor on the dew-point mirror may appear as liquid water at temperatures as low as 0 to −10°F (−18 to −23°C). At lower temperatures an ice point rather than a water dew point likely will be observed. The minimum dew point of any vapor that can be observed is limited by the mechanical parts of the equipment. Mirror temperatures as low as −150°F (−100°C) have been measured, using liquid nitrogen as the coolant with a thermocouple attached to the mirror, instead of a thermometer well.